Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The great 458 Winchester. Everyone should own one at least once

Sir Larry,
Those Potterfield books are coffee table books worth more than the $9.99 price he gets them out for.
Sort of like the My Pillow Man's autobiography without the crack cocaine.
Volume 1 is about his stories from safaris, NA, hunts and the time he got bit by a squirrel when he was 9 years old,
and some gun tech stuff.
Volume 2, will have to check out and report back.
There is also a MIDWAY USA THE FIRST FORTY YEARS, glossy pictures galore and 191 pages,
a real coffee table page turner.

404-gr Shock Hammer test bed:

Gee, even a caveman can generate a 1250-G impact.
But will a NightForce survive the 404-gr Shock Hammer from a .458 WM+ ?

Those bullets are looking good.
My money is on the NightForce holding the line.

I don’t think the Lehigh 380 grain WFN copper will be a feeding issue in the bolt rifles, based on one rifle trial.

Bob,
May the Shalom that passeth understanding cover you and your wife.
I pray in the name of The Son sacrificed to save us.
Amen

Many thanks to all for your prayers... we have Shalom.

I just watched Billy Molls testimony (Mountain Man), that was a blessing.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Thanks for that tip on the testimony, will find it and watch it, Sir Bob.

The 404-gr/.458 Shock Hammer has struck paper with my starting load.

I got out an hour before sundown on Thursday 2-10-2022 and turned on the auxillary chrono lights.
Fired bullet #1 to verify on paper by bore-sighting at 50-yard target.
Then an elevation adjustment of scope and shot #2 was fired.
Then a windage adjustment of scope and shot #3 was fired.
Third shot was an inch away from spot-on at 50 yards.
With adequate fouling and the rifle and scope seeming to be functioning properly,
three more shots were fired for 50-yard group and 5-yard chronograph.
48 degrees F
Barrel: 25"-long Shilen, 1:14" twist, stainless, No. 5 sporter contour.
CZ 550 Magnum with NightForce SHV 3-10x42mm in Burris X-Tac Low rings on 2-piece Picatinny bases.
Hornady Brass
F-215 primer
COL = 3.480" (I relented on 3.380" COL due to discovering powder compression at that COL)
Seating depth = 0.460"
80.0 grains of AA-2230
Instrumental velocities in fps: 2468, 2467, 2471
Mean = 2468.7 fps
for BC = 0.419 G1, add 10.3 fps to correct to MV = 2479 fps
Group at 50-yards was a cloverleaf of 0.430" on centers, equivalent to 0.82 MOA.

80.0 grains of AA-2230 is 100% fill or minimally compressed with no drop tube.
I will use a drop tube and add more powder at same 3.480" COL.
81.0 grains ought to be over 2500 fps.

The PDR bands might be requiring more powder to get the pressure up.
Just conserving expensive bullets here.

Outstanding report !!
It looks like this bullet is showing great potential.

Edit: I am not sure the New Haven Super Express factory magazine is going to allow even a 3.340 coal length. Maybe.

For 404-gr/.458-cal Shock Hammer:
Reduce COL by 0.100" and reduce powder charge by 4.0 grains of AA-2230.
This is with Hornady, W-W and R-P brass,
max charges to work up to:

3.28" COL: 72.0 gr
3.38" COL: 76.0 gr
3.48" COL: 80.0 gr
3.58" COL: 84.0 gr

Recall that the Norma-made brass might be 4 or 5 grains bigger in water capacity.
With Norma brass I had to go up to 86.0 grains AA-2230 with the 450-gr TSX
to blow a primer and get less velocity than 84 grains gave, at a COL of 3.565" IIRC.
Looking back at page 34 of this thread:







83 or 84 grains AA-2230 with the lighter 404-grainer in the Norma brass at 3.580" COL,
might be a safe way to work-harden that Norma brass.

My latest EUREKA for the .458 Winchester Magnum is this:

Hornady brass and 0.115" longer COL gives about equal ballistic performance as the Norma brass at the baseline COL.

Example: 84.0 grains of AA-2230 is about 100% LR/Net Fill with 450-gr TSX bullet in the following loads.

Hornady case at 3.680" COL >>> 2469 fps MV in a 25" Shilen-barreled CZ 550 Magnum

Norma case at 3.565" COL >>> 2464 fps MV in a 24" Ruger No. 1 barrel.

Eureka.

That 450 TSX is hauling arse.

Gentlemen,

I have been hunting hard with 'Fatso' (my Zastava .458) nearly every weekend trying to desperately collect a Sambar but alas, haven't got one...yet!

But I've seen a few and been I've honked plenty of times... bloody things!

However I was out again yesterday and although I saw no Sambar I did see a herd of Fallow deer about 100m away from where I was positioned. So I thought I'd see if a .458 Win Mag with 550gn Woodleighs was adequate for Fallow!

I crept to about 80m away from a doe feeding off from the group and carefully aimed.
Just as I was about to shoot she looked up and saw me so I quickly fired. I lost view of her under recoil but the shot felt good. As I carefully walked to where I last saw her I saw a big pile of hair on the ground. I few more steps and I found her lying dead.
I'd hit her just a bit off centre of the chest and the projectile had exited just behind the ribs. What was unusual was the hair was blown off the deer along where the bullet travelled. Interesting, I'd never seen that before...

So guys, I am here to tell you if you are hunting Fallow a .458 Winchester Magnum is adequate.

That immediate hair loss one for the books !!
Great pictures also.

Sir Russ is a Wizard, does magic tricks with his .458 WinMag.
I have never seen anything like that before.
The .458 Winchester Magnum never ceases to amaze.

Was that a 450-gr HYDRO that shocked the hair off that deer hide ?

I have been frozen out of the range work again, I await warmer temps for next outing to try
these loads with the 404-gr Shock Hammer and AA-2230 powder:

80-gr and 81-gr loads in W-W Super brass.
80-gr and 84-gr loads in Norma brass.

All at 3.480" COL and no compression in any of those with use of drop tube.

The Lehigh 380-grain Copper WFN has about a 78% meplat, which is too big to feed in my CZ .458 WM+.

Sir Ron,

Right you are! It was the 450gn Hydro... typo apologies gentlemen!

Stay posted my friends as I'm planning on doing a lot of hunting with Fatso this coming year - with the exception of my next hunt.
My next hunt I'll be using the grand old .303 British to bag a deer.
That is a bucket list thing of mine and I'm going to make it happen hopefully next trip!

But getting back to the excellent .458 Winchester Magnum, what a great load that 450gn Hydro is at 2300fps.
It works well on Elephant down to little Fallow deer.
Talk about having your bases covered.
And recoil is not too bad for what you're getting in return... a truely sublime round.

Russ

BBM,
At that velocity, you have energy to spare.

Even at 2150 fps the 450 grain Punch and 450 grain NF FPS shot through the elephant head and on into the body. Besides, with a hotter load, that metal butt plate might pinch something!

Interesting on the 380 grain WFN Lehigh. I have not tried it in the 458 Winchester yet.
It feeds with various seating depths, in my CZ 550 Safari Classic 458 Winchester / 458 Lott and MRC stainless 458 Lott.

Edit: The CZ had made a trip to AHR before I got it. Which may or not have an influence of its feeding.
The MRC was bought used also, it looks totally unaltered. And of course, appeared few or any rounds through it when I bought it.

It looks like Fatso put a significant hole in and out, as well as knocking the hair off.

Sir Russ;
For myself it was brown bear and Sitka Blacktail deer. .
Yes, it works wonders. You guys ought to see how well it works with a 300 grain X or TSX at 2700 fps mv.
It shoots like a 375 and kills like a 458.